Jed Lowrie’s tenure with the Mets was certainly a frustrating one, as the infielder logged just seven at-bats during his two-year, $20 million deal, but Lowrie alleges that his time in New York could have been better if the team allowed him to have surgery on his injured knee.
Lowrie told The Athletic that the Mets “declined to allow him to get the knee operation,” and even threatened him with a grievance as he sought treatment for what was classified as a knee fat pad impingement, an injury to what protects the patella tendon.
While many Mets fans criticized Lowie’s inability to be on the field, he was left to deal with the frustration of believing he could be playing if he received more than just treatment and a bulky brace on his knee, one which made it difficult to play his position and kept him off the field even longer.
“When you’re questioned on social media or by people behind your back, I consider it to be nothing more significant than gossip,” Lowrie said. “I’ve had some injuries, but this last situation with the Mets was really frustrating.”
Lowrie returned to Oakland for this third stint with the A’s after finishing his contract with the Mets, and was feeling healthy and back in the Opening Day lineup earlier this month, having had the procedure on his knee as soon as his contract with New York had expired. Through 11 games so far, Lowrie looks like his old All-Star self, slashing .316/.395/.474 with a home run and three doubles, and is riding a streak of three straight multi-hit games.
After looking like his career was coming to an injury-ridden close with the Mets, the 36-year-old feels he is appreciating the game once again.
“I missed playing so much, it was very difficult,” Lowrie said. “I would love to play two more years, then perhaps work in the business.”
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